Hard to believe that just 48 hours earlier I arrived in the pulsating, lively airport of Chennai - and now here I sat, with beer in hand, discussing the next days fishing challenge in the beautiful dreamy Andaman Islands.
The Bay of Bengal engulfed us, The Andaman sea lapped around us and the Narcondam Island - part of the Andaman Archipelago sat in front of us..... true white sands and azure seas, fringed by primeval jungle - some of the worlds best undisturbed fishing grounds - we had arrived !
It had taken 12 hours sailing on Deja Blue to arrive at this remote and stunning spot known for its deep oceans and mounts ... with tight lines, warm breezes, great friends and plenty of bait, life does not get much better than this.
En route we caught Tuna, Wahoo, and Sailfish - trawling the whole way and anticipations rising. The sunsets are like nothing I have ever experienced.... deep red, merging to orange flashing across the large golden orb of the sun..
Deja Blue...... Our Bertram Sport Fisher for the week
That night I dont know if it was the journey or the gentle lapping of the waves that literally lulled me to sleep.
To say I was excited that morning would be somewhat of an understatement..... Today was to be our attempt at catching Marlin ! The trawling commenced and we watched for birds who watched for the fish.. It was not long before we encountered bubble of fish balling, birds circling and swirling in from different Islands, flashes of silver leading to a feeding frenzy of tuna as the boat circled looking into the deep for the larger predators to hopefully arrive...
It took time, it took patience, it took an immense and deep level of knowledge from Captain John and then one of the 6 lines struck and at the same time, that magic whirl of the reel... I found it almost impossible to contain my excitement. But like a well oiled crewe who had rehearsed for this very moment, we took our places for the fight. I was first and as I sat in the chair I knew it could be a long and tiring one...
The Marlin leapt into the air, landing to spin in the water and become a charged balance between man and fish. Almost an hour later and after winding and continually playing of the line, constant spray of icy water by the crewe in temperatures of over 38 degrees and wiping the sweat from my eyes, a 500lb Marlin raised its majestic head in front of me.
At the same time, the line was all in and a firm pat on my hand from the Captain to say "Thats a Catch Charles" and my job was done...
The Ultimate..
Did I mention the most amazing nature ? The Rare Narcondam Hornbill, Manterary and Pods of Dolphin following us on our journey and that was Day 1. But more of that in another article.
Today I was just so proud to experience the wild, the remote and sheer beauty from the comfort of Deja Blue...